Drawer with tilting back wall



3- c. w. SI 'RAUBEL I 2,310,879

v DRAWER WITH TILTING BACK WALL Filed June 6, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Cldrencewfiirwubel,

Feb. 9, 1943.

C. W. STRAUBEL.

DRAWER WITH TILTING BACK WALL Filed June 6, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2ClamnceWSZmabel,

C IX W Feb. 9, 1943. c. w. STRAUBEL I DRAWER WITH TILTING BACK WALL 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 6, 1941 7 22 7/? all I Clarencenf irawbel,

Patented Feb. 9, 1943 DRAWER. WITH TILTIN G BACK WALL Clarence W.Straubel, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The General FireproofingCompany, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 6,1941, Serial No. 396,956

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in drawers for filing cabinets,and has particular reference to a construction which assists inpermitting the opening up or spreading apart of the drawer contents whenthe drawer is opened.

While it has been heretofore proposed to free the compressed contents ofa filing drawer for easier access and better view of indicia byproviding the drawer with an outwardly tiltable or swinging head,nevertheless even with a con-struction of this type it is oftendesirable to obtain additional freeing of the drawer contents, and,moreover, where a rigid drawer head is used, this objective isparticularly desirable.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide the drawerwith a movable back wall which will tilt rearwardly when the drawer isopened to relieve the pressure on the drawer contents whether the draweris loaded throughout to capacity, or whether the rear section of thedrawer is filled behind a divider plate, follower plate, or othersubdividing means. This arrangement also permits a follower plate or thelike, when at the extreme rear of the drawer and the drawer is open, totilt rearwardly for maximum capacity with increased accessibility.

A further and more specific object is to provide a pivotally supportedback wall for the drawer which may be thrown back or tilted by gravitydue to weight of drawer contents, or automatically by a spring, when thedrawer is pulled open, and which is maintained in upright position whenthe drawer is closed by suitable cooperating means on the drawer and thefiling cabinet or drawer casing. Thus, when the drawer is closed theactuated back wall will not yieldingly bear against the rear wall of thecabinet and tend to force the front of the drawer out of the cabinet.

With the above and other objects in view which will be more readilyapparent as the nature of the invention is understood, the same consistsin the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a filing cabinet having adrawer therein including the present improvements, the drawer beingshown in its closed position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the relative position ofparts when the drawer is pulled open. a

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing. in

elevation the side wall of the drawer and the control means for the backwall.

Fig. 4 is a bisected rear elevation of the drawer shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a detail side elevation partly in section showing amodification of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the latch of Fig. 7 in closed position.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of the drawings.

The filing cabinet A in the accompanying drawings is of the conventionaltype, including a rear wall B and suitable suspension means (not shown)on the side wall C of the cabinet for slidably supporting the filingdrawer D. The drawer D includes a drawer body having a front drawer headE, which may be of the rigid, tilting or extensible type, and alsoincluding the usual bottom wall I and side walls 2.

The present invention is particularly concerned with the novel back wallF which is movable relative to the rear ends of the side walls 2 whenthe drawer is opened, that is, withdrawn from the cabinet, and which isheld vertical when the drawer is closed,.that is, fully pushed into thecabinet. More specifically, the invention is directed to a tilting backwall for the drawer which is movable to a rearwardly inclined positionwhen the drawer is opened to assist in freeing the drawer contents, andwhich is moved to a vertical position and preferably-locked or held inthat position when the drawer is closed. To accomplish these ends thelower portion of the back wall F is hingedor pivoted, as indicated at 3,at the rear of the drawer body so that the upper edge of the back wallis movable rearwardly or outwardly of the filing space of the drawer.Preferably, the movement of the back wall from a vertical to an inclinedor tilted position is controlled by suitable throw-back spring meanswhich, in the example shown, are preferably in the form of one or morecoil springs 4 mounted coaxially with the pintle or axis of the hinge 3,as shown for example in Figs. 3 and 4. These springs may be assembled tothe rear of the drawer body and the back wall by properly positioningthem in spaces provided therefor in the back wall and rear of the drawerbody prior to threading the pintle of the hinge 3 in position so thatthe opposite free ends of the spring will engagewith the same facesrespectively of the drawer body and the back wall to place the latterunder tension and tend to throw it backwardly to an inclined position.Obviously, however, it is within the purview of the present invention touse flat springs, or re-arrange the spring means shown, so as toaccomplish the object referred to.

The movable back wall F preferably has its intermediate portionconnected with suitable control mechanism, which may be duplicated atopposite sides thereof, and which, in the preferred form, counteractsthe tendency of the spring means 4 to move the back wall to open ortilted position when the drawer is closed. This control means preferablyconsists of link, latchand leverelements associated with a side wall ofthe drawer and cooperating with fixed abut-ment means on the inner wallof the cabinet or drawer casing to retract and retain the back wall fromopen position to closed position.

Referring more specifically to thecontrol mechanism for the backwall F,it may be observed that said wall is provided withone or more pivot earsconnected as at 6 with a link 7. This link is preferably of angularformation and the arm I thereof is slidably supported and positioned inthe inwardly opening channel portion 8 at the edge of the sidewall 2 ofthe drawer. The intermediate offset portion l' of the link projectsthrough a' slot-8' in the bottom of the channel 8, and therefore the end8 of the slot constitutes, in effect, means for limiting the rearwardtilting movement of the back wall F. The portion l of the link, which isdisposed in a plan parallel to the arm l isoffset cutwardly of the sidewall of thedrawer to accommodate a lever 9 pivotallysupported at H] tothe outer wall of the channel 8. Where the lever 9 crosses the arm 1, itispivote'd thereto as indicated at I l'. Thepurpose, therefore, ofoutward- 1yoffsetting 'the-arm- 1 of the'link is to provide clearancefor theswinging of the lever 9 from the fixed pivot I and enable thelever to control the movement of the link through the pivot I I. A latchmember I2 is pivotally supported at the outer face of'the lever 9 on thesame'pivot pin H which connects the lever to the link. This latchisprovided with a hook I'3' intended to cooperate with suitable keepermeans on the side wall of the drawer, for example, a lug or pin Id. Thearm' of the latch opposite the hook, is relatively long to therebyoverbal'ance the hook portion l3 and urge it toward thekeeper pin l4,and

the end of said arm is beveled, as indicated at I2 to cooperate with thecam element l5 which may bein the form of a pin also projectinglaterally from a side wall of the drawer.

The relatively free end of the lever 9 is intended to cooperate with anabutment or stop IS on the inner side wall of the cabinet or casing whenthe drawer D moves to closed position, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Whenthe drawer is pulled out of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 2, the lever 9moves away from the abutment or stop [6 and the spring means 4' movesthe'lever, latch, and link elements as the back wall F is forced open.

The operation of the construction shown on the drawings is as follows:

When the drawer is fully pushed into the cabinet and the lever 9 isengaged with the abutment or stop It, the latch [2 has its hook portion[3- in engagement with the locking pin l4 and the beveled end I 2' ofthe latch rests on the cam pin 15. The link 1 is also fully retracted inthe channel 8 because the lever 9, through pivot connection I i, alsomaintains the link in its fully inward position, thereby holding andmaintaining the back wall F in a vertical position. When the drawer D ispulled open, that is, slidably moved out of the cabinet, the lever 9begins to swing and eventually leaves the abutment l6 as the drawertravels further toward open position. As the drawer moves outwardly, thespring means 4 throws the back wall rearwardly, the hook l3 of the latchbeing released from the pin M as the beveled end of the latch ridesupwardly and over the cam pin i5. When the lever 9 is entirely clear ofthe abutment I6 and. swings to the limit shown in Fig. 2, the link I isfully pulled or projected rearwardly of the channel, and, when theangular portion 'l of the link reaches the end 8 of the slot 8 the backwall F reaches its limit of outward tilting movement. When the drawer isagain pushed inwardly, the lever 9 re-engages the abutment IS on theside of the cabinet and the back wall F is moved to a verticalpositionbecause the link 1 is retracted and the latch I2 i permitted tomove so that the hook portion i3 engages the locking pin l4 and therebyholds the entire assembly firmly in position to maintain the'back wallvertical. With this arrangement there is no possibility of the springurged back wall F'engaging the rear wall B of the cabinet A in such aWay as to cause thedrawer to creep out of the cabinet.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present inventionprimarily provides a back wall for the drawer which is movable to aposition to increase the length of the top' of the drawer and therebyfree the drawer contents. The essentials of this construction are thepivotally supported back wall F and means for holding or locking theback wall in itsvertical position.

Fig. '7 illustrates the further range of application of the inventionincluding the essentialsabove referred to. In this form of the inventionthe back wall F may be either spring actuated or be actuated by gravityto" open position or tilted under the weight of the drawer'contents whenthe drawer i pulled open and away from the back wall of the cabinet B.Referring fur.- ther to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be observed that the backwall F is pivotally supported to the drawer body, as indicated at IT.The intermediate poi".- tion of the back wall F is also pivotallyconnected at l8 with a locking latch l9 which operates in the inwardlyopening channel. atlthe top of the side wall of the drawer. The bottomof the channel 20 is provided with a slot 2| for receiving the head l9of the latch when the back wall F is in its closed vertical position.The head Hi of the latch is provided with keeper means in the form of ashoulder 19' for locking the latch to the side wall of the drawer whenthe back wall F is closed. An abutment or stop 22 is provided on theinner side wall of the cabinet so that when the drawer is pulled out ofthe cabinet the stop 22 will engage the rounded edge of the head Ill ofthe latch and lift the locking shoulder l9 away from the end of the slot2| with which it has been engaged, thereby to free the latch so that theback wall F can tilt rearwardly by gravity or under the weight of drawercontents. To limit the travel of the latch l9 in a rearward direction, asuitable stop pin 23 or its equivalent is provided on the inside face ofthe bottom .of I

the channel 20 on the drawer.

Upon closing the drawer carrying the back wall F, and assuming that thewall is in its rearwardly tilted position, the upper edge of said backwall F will engage the inner face of the back wall B of the cabinet,and, as the closing movement of the drawer continues, the wall F will bemoved to a vertical position and the shoulder W of the latch-head willengage with the rear end of the slot 2 I, thereby to lock the back wallF in a vertical position so that it will not lean against the inner faceof the back wall B of the cabinet and tend to push the drawer out of thecabinet.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present inventioncontemplates the provision of a hinged back wall which may or may not bespring tensioned, but which moves to a rearwardly tilted position whenthe drawer is pulled open, thereby to additionally free the contents ofthe drawer for inspection purposes. It will, of course, be understoodthat the back wall of the drawer may be hinged to a short permanent backwall of the drawer, as shown, or, on the other hand, the horizontalpivot axis for the back wall may be positioned as low as the drawerbottom itself. In all cases the essential feature is to provide a hingedback wall for the drawer. Moreover, when the drawer is fully closed andthe back wall is erect, means is provided for preventing the back wallfrom engaging the rear wall of the cabinet or casing, thereby avoidingany tendency of the back wall to cause the drawer to creep out of thecabinet.

Without further description, it is thought that the features andadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art and it will of course, be understood that changes in the form,proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to within the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a filing cabinet having side and rear walls, the combinationincluding a drawer mounted for sliding movement in the cabinet andhaving side and bottom walls, a back wall hinged on a fixed transverseaxis to the rear of the drawer body and movable from a vertical positionwhen the drawer is closed to a rearwardly inclined position when thedrawer is open, cooperating means on a side wall of the drawer and theback wall for limiting angular movement of the back wall, and means on awall of the cabinet cooperating with said last named means to hold saidback wall vertically locked to the drawer and out of engagement with therear wall of the cabinet when the drawer is closed.

2. In a filing cabinet having side and rear walls, the combinationincluding, a drawer mounted for sliding movement in the cabinet andhaving side and bottom walls, a back wall hinged on a transverse axis tothe rear of the drawer body, spring means for urging the back wall to arearwardly inclined position when the drawer is pulled out of thecabinet, abutment means on a side wall of the cabinet, and means on theside wall of the drawer operatively connected with said back wall andhaving a portion cooperating with said abutment for maintaining the backwall in vertical position when the drawer is closed.

3, In a filing cabinet having side and rear walls, the combinationincluding a drawer mounted for sliding movement in the cabinet andincluding side and bottom walls, a back wall hinged on a transverse axisto the rear of the drawer body, a coil spring coaxial with the axis ofsaid hinge for constantly urging the back wall to a rearwardly inclinedposition, and means on the side wall of the drawer operatively connectedto the back wall and cooperating with means on a side wall of thecabinet to counteract the force of the spring and hold the back wallvertical when the drawer is closed.

4. In a filing cabinet including a side wall and a rear wall, thecombination including a drawer mounted for sliding movement in thecabinet and comprising side and bottom walls, a back wall pivotallysup-ported at its lower edge to the rear of the drawer body to betiltable away from the ends of the side walls of the drawer when thedrawer is moved out of the cabinet, a link pivotally connected at oneend to the medial portion of the back 'wall and slidably supported on aside wall of the drawer to be projectable and retractable relative tothe end of said side wall, and cooperating means on the link, the sidewall of the drawer and the side wall of the cabinet, for releasablyholdin'gsaid link in retracted position to maintain the back wallvertical and out of contact with the rear wall of the cabinet when thedrawer is fully pushed into the casing.

5.: In a filing cabinet including a side wall and a rear wall, thecombination including a drawer mounted for sliding movement in thecabinet and including side and bottom walls, a back wall pivotallysupported at its lower edge to the rear of the drawer body, a spring forconstantly urging the back wall to a rearwardly inclined position, linkmeans pivotally connected to the back wall and slidably supported on aside wall of the drawer, rockable latch means pivoted to the end of thelink opposite its connection with the back wall, keeper means on theside wall of the drawer for said latch, and cooperating means on thedrawer and casing for maintaining the engagement of the latch and keepermeans to counteract the tendency of the spring tensioned back wall toswing and thereby maintain said back wall in a vertical position out ofcontact with the rear wall of the cabinet when the drawer is fullypushed into the cabinet.

6. In a filing cabinet including a side wall and a rear wall, thecombination including a drawer mounted for sliding movement in thecabinet and having side and bottom walls, a back wall pivota-llysupported at its lower end to the rear of the drawer body, a spring forurging the back wall to a rearwardly inclined position, a link pivotallyconnected at one end to the back wall and slidably supported on a sidewall of the drawer, a keeper pin and a cam pin on the side wall of thedrawer, a latch member pivoted at an intermediate point to said link andhaving a hook portion at one end for releasable engagement with thekeeper pin and a cam portion at the other end for slidably engaging thesaid cam pin, a lever swingable on a pivot fixed to the side of thedrawer and having its intermediate portion pivoted coaxially with thepivotal connection between the link and the latch member, and anabutment on a side wall of the cabinet for engaging said lever when thedrawer is closed to maintain the hook of the latch member engaged withits pin to hold the back wall in vertical position and out of contactwith the rear wall of the cabinet, said lever when the drawer is pulledout of the cabinet moving away from said abutment and causing the camportion of the latch member to engage with the cam pin and thus rock thesaid latch member to release the hook portion thereof from the keeperpin.

'7. In a filing cabinet, the combination including, a cabinethavingvertical side an'd'rear walls, abutmentmeans on'one of saidvertical walls of the cabinet, a drawer mounted for sliding movement inthe cabinet and including a side wall, a back wall hinged on atransverse axis to the rear of the drawer and movable from a verticalposition when the drawer is closed to a rearwardly inclinedposition'when the drawer is open, means carried by a side wall and saidback wall of the drawer and cooperating with said abutment means on avertical wall of the cabinet to cause said back wall of the'drawer to belocked to the drawer in a substantially erect position when the draweris moved to closed position, thereby to prevent said back wall of thedrawer from engaging the vertical rear wall of the cabinet when thedrawer is'closed to prevent said back wall of the drawer exertingpressure against the rear wall of the cabinet tending to push the drawerout of the cabinet.

8. In a filing cabinet, the combination including, a side wall of thecabinet, abutment means on said side wall of the cabinet, a drawermounted for sliding movement in the cabinet and a back wall hinged on atransverse axis to the rear of the drawer and movable from a verticalposition when the drawer is closed to a rearwardly inclined positionwhen the drawer is open, and latch means connected to the back wall ofthe drawer and cooperating with means on the side wall of the drawer andsaid abutment means to hold said back wall locked in vertical positionto the drawer when the latter is closed.

9. In a filing cabinet, the combination including, a side wall of thecabinet, abutment means on the said side wall of the cabinet, a drawermounted for sliding movement in the cabinet, a drawer body includingside and bottom walls, a back wall pivotally supported at its lower edgeto the rear of the drawer body to be tiltable away from the ends of theside walls of the drawer when the drawer is moved out of the cabinet,and latch means connected to said back wall of the drawer and engageablewith a side wall of the drawer for limiting angular movement of saidwall relative to the rear ends of the side walls of the drawer when thedrawer is open, said latch means cooperating with the said abutmentmeans on the cabinet to hold the back wall of the drawer locked to thedrawer when the latter is closed.

CLARENCE W. S'I'RAUBEL.

